Iran President Raisi's death injects new uncertainty into Middle East

Supreme leader loses heir-apparent, setting off succession race

20240520N Iran Raisi

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was considered a leading candidate to succeed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the country's supreme leader. © Reuters

TAKESHI KUMON, Nikkei senior staff writer

TOKYO -- The death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has brought a cloud of uncertainty to the country's future leadership, adding a new wrinkle to tensions in the Middle East, already rocked by the war in Gaza.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday tried to project a sense of order, stressing that Raisi's death in a helicopter crash has not caused a disruption in the government. While the president heads the Iranian government, the supreme leader is the country's highest political authority.

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